Teamsters rally against ballot initiative in El Monte

EL MONTE - Hundreds of Southland Teamsters and more than a dozen elected officials rallied in El Monte on Saturday to voice their opposition to a campaign finance initiative that will be on the November ballot.

To supporters, it's the "Stop Special Interest Money Now Act," but opponents, such as the Teamsters, refer to it as the "Corporate Power Grab."

"Corporations are the face behind this anti-worker legislation," she said, adding that it would make it more difficult for workers to have a voice in issues important to them, such as wages and benefits.

"This legislation would effectively keep you guys from participating in the political cycles," Sanchez said.

The initiative, funded by billionaire media magnate A. Jerrold Perenchio and the organization Californians Against Special Interests, qualified for the November ballot late last year.

It consists of four amendments to the California Government Code. They include:

Banning corporate and union contributions to any state or local candidate or candidate-controlled committee; banning government contractors from making contributions to any elected officials involved in the granting, letting or awarding of contracts with the contractor; barring unions and corporations from automatically deducting money from employees' paychecks for political contributions; and making all employees' political contributions voluntary.

"(The initiative) will, once and for all, ban corporations and unions from contributing to state and local politicians. It pushes big money out, so politicians will work for the voters, not for rich special interests," Stop Special Interest Money Now proponents said in a written statement.

Additionally, according to the statement, "Corporate employers and unions often pressure, sometimes subtly and sometimes overtly, workers to give up a portion of their paychecks to support the political objectives of the corporation or union. Their purpose is to amass millions of dollars to gain influence with our elected leaders without any regard for the political views of the employees who provide the money."

The proposed legislation would, "preserve every employee's right to contribute to campaigns by means other than payroll deduction (for example, by check or by monthly debit from an account or credit card), but it ensures that those contributions are voluntarily authorized by the employee in writing annually."

But Rep. Judy Chu, D-El Monte, said the true purpose of the initiative is to empower corporate interests while weakening the influence of union workers.

"This is the most dangerous proposition of all time," said Chu. "It will silence the union members and their voices."

"What's disgusting about this initiative is they go around and tell you it's to protect your paycheck," Quintero said.

Former U.S. Secretary of State and longtime California resident George Schultz has come out in support of the initiative.

"The grass-roots-driven qualification of this measure underscores the fact that Californians are sick and tired of the dysfunction caused by the outsized influence special interests maintain over politicians in our state," he said in a written statement.